US City Council Demands End of Blockade against Cuba

Washington, May 26 (Prensa Latina) The City Council of the US city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, urged Congress and President Donald Trump to lift the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba, a diplomat from the Caribbean country announced today.

Through a resolution, published in the Twitter social network account of Miguel Fraga, First Secretary of the Cuban Embassy in Washington, the president is also urged to follow the policy of approaching the island initiated by his predecessor, Barack Obama.

Following Trump’s rise to power on January 20, 2017, and the pressure of conservative forces opposed to the normalization of bilateral relations, that process has receded, according to statements made by authorities in the Greater Antilles.

On the other hand, the text suggests restoring diplomats from the United States and Cuba in their embassies in Havana and Washington, respectively.

Early on March, the US Department of State announced that the reduction of personnel in its legation in the Cuban capital will be maintained, despite the calls of several groups to reverse the situation.

Thus, specified an official statement at the time, the Embassy will continue to operate with the minimum workers necessary to perform basic consular and diplomatic tasks.

The number of people left in Cuba is similar to the level of emergency maintained after the September 29 withdrawal order when Washington withdrew more than half of its officials on the grounds of health incidents reported by them.

Although Cuba repeatedly claimed no responsibility for the events, on October 3 the US administration expelled 17 Cuban diplomats from Washington D.C.

The resolution, unanimously approved by the 13 members of the City Council, also calls for an end to the restrictions imposed on US citizens to travel to the Antilles country.